HardlyYardleyDover are 2nd in the table. We are 15th. We can't score. They want one of our strikers. It's a bit confusing, isn't it?

Like when Brabin's team weren't scoring but Mangan, Stockton and Margetts all went to FL clubs!

Good luck to Alabi. I reckon he can turn out to be a decent player if he's given the right sort of service, facing goal. Was probably never going to shine given our lack of creativity in the first couple of months of the season but could flourish with someone like Wallace feeding him.

It often takes time for players to settle in to a new team. Alabi has not been given an extended run to prove himself. It he starts scoring for Dover, then we can bring him back in January. A shrewd move by MM I think.

hong kong roverAlso noticed that Sutton Utd have loaned out Moses Emmanuel to Maidenhead Utd for 2 months.. Bit surprised by that coz as far as I understand he has done ok at Sutton since signing from Dover.

sorry, I have got my players mixed up. its ross Lafayette at Sutton that has had a good season so far not moses Emmanuel. Emmanuel has yet to make an appearance yet this season I believe.

Nothing about him impressed and loaning him out is the best of a bad job.It is ironic that we may have to pay for a player that we do not want. He had a productive season at Chester but even then many of their supporters did not rate him and he clearly was not rated by Accrington.
Stocton came back a better player because he was given a real run. How that contrasts with our attitude to Gumbs Duggan and the promise of Drysdale

Its a strange one for sure....
There are two thoughts on this,
1) Its a smart move, get the player regular game time and play into a bit of form, bring him back in January when if rumour is to be believed Cook will be on his way.
2) Mellon is an idiot.

Too many Tranmere fans have given abuse to Alabi so it has been impossible for him to settle. Mellon had to free up cash for loan signings and I guess this was the best option on the table. I don't blame Mellon - I blame those fans who never gave him a chance.

If we're shipping him out on loan then it was always going to be to another NL club - no league club would take him and it'd be a waste of time him dropping down a level (doubt he'd agree to it anyway). Can probably only judge when we see how he does when he comes back, plus how MM deploys the wages on a new signing in the meantime.

In fairness Alabi isn't a goal scorer and probably wasn't bought to solve that problem, I think he was purchased to be a handful and cause problems creating space for the likes of Tollit, who is out again.

Aldo'smuzzyIf we're shipping him out on loan then it was always going to be to another NL club - no league club would take him

Despite what he has no managed to do at Tranmere I feel to see how you can know what any managers of football league clubs do or don't think of him.

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Old Rover

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corpacCan you imagine - for example - Man.United loaning a striker to say Liverpool.
What is going on? You never loan a player to a rival club!
The mind bogles.

Spot on, Why send him there, Why is he good enough for them but not good enough for us

He hasn't even played for them yet, so he might not be good for them.

My feelings are that he may become another Stockton who comes back more able to deal with the situation. I don't care what anyone says; but when you score 17 at NL level in one season, you've got to have a decent amount of NL standard quality with the potential to possibly move up 1-2 levels, after more game time and development of skill.

He should have been able to prove his worth at a club with the potential to finance higher quality players than Chester, who could support his scoring ability but without an extended run it has proven difficult for him to get that first goal and kick on.

I have heard nothing to suggest he has some kind of unprofessional attitude or done anything that may have tainted the clubs image so I wish him well and if he can come back at some point and start making a more meaningful impact all the good to him.

Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.

corpacCan you imagine - for example - Man.United loaning a striker to say Liverpool.
What is going on? You never loan a player to a rival club!
The mind bogles.

Spot on, Why send him there, Why is he good enough for them but not good enough for us

Maybe for the same reason we loaned Stockton to a League 2 club even tho he apparently wasn't good enough for us and why Drysdlale who can't even get on the bench for us was training with Championship clubs!!
Pleased by this - and if it is for the whole season so much the better. Then MM only has to find someone to take him for the second year of his contract which he gave him.

When he signed for us the Chester fans said that he's not a target he is better running at defences. Look at his Chester goals. We used him as a target man and wonder why he did'nt score. I assume we signed him because of the goals he scored for them and then we dont play to his strengths.

He has played 403 minutes for us this season and scored 0 goals and had 0 assists. For the most part as many of us would agree in those 403 minutes he has not looked very good at all.

Last season he scored 17 in 42 matches. BUT 4 of those were penalties. If they had another penalty taker that would be 13 in 42 games so not exactly prolific. Another important point is he had 0 assists last season.

Norwood had 16 in 43 matches and started less games last season than Alabi but chipped in with 8 assists.

To me it looked like a speculative signing that has gone wrong as there seems to be little potential to eak out of Alabi.

There weren’t sufficient pre season games for him to be evaluated and I believe now we aren’t wasting a spot in the team for him we can start to kick on.

DCTRFCTo add some stats to show why I think this is a good move.
He has played 403 minutes for us this season and scored 0 goals and had 0 assists. For the most part as many of us would agree in those 403 minutes he has not looked very good at all.

Last season he scored 17 in 42 matches. BUT 4 of those were penalties. If they had another penalty taker that would be 13 in 42 games so not exactly prolific. Another important point is he had 0 assists last season.

Norwood had 16 in 43 matches and started less games last season than Alabi but chipped in with 8 assists.

To me it looked like a speculative signing that has gone wrong as there seems to be little potential to eak out of Alabi.

There weren’t sufficient pre season games for him to be evaluated and I believe now we aren’t wasting a spot in the team for him we can start to kick on.

DCTRFCTo add some stats to show why I think this is a good move.
He has played 403 minutes for us this season and scored 0 goals and had 0 assists. For the most part as many of us would agree in those 403 minutes he has not looked very good at all.

Last season he scored 17 in 42 matches. BUT 4 of those were penalties. If they had another penalty taker that would be 13 in 42 games so not exactly prolific. Another important point is he had 0 assists last season.

Norwood had 16 in 43 matches and started less games last season than Alabi but chipped in with 8 assists.

To me it looked like a speculative signing that has gone wrong as there seems to be little potential to eak out of Alabi.

There weren’t sufficient pre season games for him to be evaluated and I believe now we aren’t wasting a spot in the team for him we can start to kick on.

Superb use of stats to prove what we have all seen with our own eyes.

So why did we sign him. Two strikers brought in by MM are now out on loan.

Aldo'smuzzyIf we're shipping him out on loan then it was always going to be to another NL club - no league club would take him

Despite what he has no managed to do at Tranmere I feel to see how you can know what any managers of football league clubs do or don't think of him.

Just my opinion, subsequently borne out by fact.

That would be fact if there was at least one league club looking at his services as well and Alabi chose the NL as he felt it would suit him better.

The situation lends itself to your theory certainly, but not knowing if any league options were available as well, I still don't see your assertion as becoming a proven fact.

Sorry .

Matt, he's shi7e, end of,he was a poor gamble, 17 goals last term in NL for Chester who actually had a decent side last season and did really well early on, compared with Ricky Miller who scored hatfuls in what was also a mediocre team, and has hardly set the FL on fire, Stockton was probably minutes per goal up their as highest scorer, didn't blaze a train at Morecambe and can't get a kick over the border. Alabi is no where near either of them in terms of quality.

Agreed and that's what people need to remember when judging Mellon on the signing, as some people in the past have judged the manager for signing someone, based on that player having been at the club for 3-6 months, but managers can't sign people based on foresight, so therefore they can't be judged on it.

Therefore Mellon would obviously want to sign Alabi based on his past record and the last season he did well enough to suggest a step up of some kind might work out.

Then I ate his Liver.......... with some baked beans and a can of coke.

Aldo'smuzzyIf we're shipping him out on loan then it was always going to be to another NL club - no league club would take him

Despite what he has no managed to do at Tranmere I feel to see how you can know what any managers of football league clubs do or don't think of him.

Just my opinion, subsequently borne out by fact.

That would be fact if there was at least one league club looking at his services as well and Alabi chose the NL as he felt it would suit him better.

The situation lends itself to your theory certainly, but not knowing if any league options were available as well, I still don't see your assertion as becoming a proven fact.

Sorry .

No need to apologise for misunderstanding, just move on .

Seems Alabi had a decent debut for Dover today. Still unclear why there's confusion over the length of the deal, though. Must say recent events do seem strange - the confusion over this deal, plus sending out the new signings on loan, plus news only just breaking that Rokka has been crocked the last six weeks, now two more mystery injuries to the fullbacks. A logical reason for each, perhaps, but still very unusual - not sure what to make of it all tbh.

[www.tapatalk.com]Today James was quick, committed, skilful, won headers, held the ball up and put himself about very well. WE don't have a forward with those abilities and, if he is allowed to play inside instead of isolated on the wing, will score loads of goals for us. On a tough day for everyone, he was worth the entrance money alone.

Two of our players now playing for teams above us in the league . Waring scoring for Halifax giving them a point in the score draw which pushes them higher up the league than us where is the logic in lending players out to rival teams above us ?

[www.tapatalk.com]Today James was quick, committed, skilful, won headers, held the ball up and put himself about very well. WE don't have a forward with those abilities and, if he is allowed to play inside instead of isolated on the wing, will score loads of goals for us. On a tough day for everyone, he was worth the entrance money alone.

Seems like he did have a good game, good luck to the lad.

As the half time whistle blew against Torquay (his debut), some fans had already made their opinion of him, and let him know as he left the pitch.

[www.tapatalk.com]Today James was quick, committed, skilful, won headers, held the ball up and put himself about very well. WE don't have a forward with those abilities and, if he is allowed to play inside instead of isolated on the wing, will score loads of goals for us. On a tough day for everyone, he was worth the entrance money alone.

Seems like he did have a good game, good luck to the lad.

As the half time whistle blew against Torquay (his debut), some fans had already made their opinion of him, and let him know as he left the pitch.

Maybe that’s the difference. Players are expected to fail here.

I don't remember any fans getting at him specifically TBH at half time but I do remember his complete inability to control a football in all the time he was on the pitch at Torquay!

Maybe if continues doing well for them they will buy him and save us the waste of a second year on his contract. A win win in my book.

How about sending some of us fans out on loan to see some improved performances! Macclesfield are short of a few fans! Pick your club! If you're feeling particularly miserable a loan spell at Chester would suit; you'd fit in well there (naming no names!).

Quesiton for you guys...be honest....why do you think that the 2 players MM sent out on loan played well in there first games with the other clubs ?

“Physical reality is actually a mirror: Your physical reality is just a reflection of what you most strongly believe to be true. And like a mirror, physical reality will not change unless you change first”

Phil65How about sending some of us fans out on loan to see some improved performances! Macclesfield are short of a few fans! Pick your club! If you're feeling particularly miserable a loan spell at Chester would suit; you'd fit in well there (naming no names!).

Brilliant idea! I will even pay the loan fee, especially for the group of “supporters” who were sat near me at Hartlepool. Nothing but whinge, moan and criticise from start to finish. As I’ve said many a time, some people are only happy when they are moaning.

ShaumbraQuesiton for you guys...be honest....why do you think that the 2 players MM sent out on loan played well in there first games with the other clubs ?

I think it's a long-standing issue in the lower leagues. Generally, players perform better when their future is unsure than when they have just signed a two-year contract. You see quite often a player sign a long-term deal and their performances suddenly drop off a little. That's not a dig at players, but as lower league footballers are often on insecure contracts that feeling of being able to relax a little with a long deal can take a little off their edge.

It's just like when players come to us and are excellent on loan, then poorer when we sign them. If you sign players on loan who know they don't have a future with you (as when we went down twice) they don't play with that edge either. It's the Dunn/Tollit type of loanees which work when players know they are playing for their futures.

We've seen this with other forwards in recent seasons - on fire pre-season, but not good enough when signed, who are on fire when they move to new clubs and then reduce their performance levels. One reason why good players are at this level is consistency - if they could perform as they do when they have fire in their bellies they would be League players, but maintaining that fire is hard for them to do.

Spot on C&C. And this was also surely a factor in the kids' heroic 1-0 win at Maidstone last season against a team who had nothing to play for. Again, not a dig, just an observation about the fine margins in hunger and performance levels necessary to maintain a career rather than just doing it in short blasts.

Back to Alabi, I still think he'll have something to offer us in the future but, under current circumstances, a loan could work out well for all parties. Very similar to Stockton's situation last season in that regard.

mini_andyIf it was a 1-2 month loan, then I’d agree with you. However a season long loan suggests he has no place at the club.

Do we know for sure what the deal is yet? Last I heard we were saying it's only until January but they were saying it's the full season. I'd assumed they were wrong, maybe confusing end of year with end of season, but I haven't seen a definitive answer on this yet.

mini_andyIf it was a 1-2 month loan, then I’d agree with you. However a season long loan suggests he has no place at the club.

Do we know for sure what the deal is yet? Last I heard we were saying it's only until January but they were saying it's the full season. I'd assumed they were wrong, maybe confusing end of year with end of season, but I haven't seen a definitive answer on this yet.

It was the official Dover page commenting, and they seemed pretty certain that it was until the end of the season, so I assume they’re correct.

I’m led to believe it’s done under 2 loans. One until January, one until the end of the season. They’ve just announced the second one early, and stated that their was no agreement saying they couldn’t.

Could be, I guess, though it wouldn't be much of a rule if you can get round it that easily. Either way, if he does the business for Dover I'd hope we'd be able to recall him in January (or at any time after that).

Considering Alabi started ahead of our best goalscorer in the first game and then in subsequent games it's a bit of a slap in the face for Mellon.
It could be he was forced into it. Palios may have told him they need to offload before they recrute which is fair enough.

mini_andyI’m led to believe it’s done under 2 loans. One until January, one until the end of the season. They’ve just announced the second one early, and stated that their was no agreement saying they couldn’t.
Could it be a rule that you can only loan until January?

This is standard procedure for mid season season long loans, When we signed Ryan Shotton on a season long loan we actually took him until Christmas week and then from January 2nd or something. The reason is the amount of games sandwiched in over the period, the parent clubs do not like to risk a fatigue injury to the player which they will Ultimatley be left with a bill for and less so it gives the parent club an oportunity to asses mid term wether the loan is providing them with what they want i.e we send Alabi out to Dover for games and fitness then they bench him.

The rules are only around registration. At the moment we can only register loanees until the next transfer window. That rule isn't there to prevent longer-term signings - it's just that loans have to be short-term or they would be a transfer outside the window.

There is nothing to stop us selling Alabi to Dover today, if the contract states the fee is paid today but the registration isn't changed until January. He could then play for Dover on loan from Tranmere until the end of his loan, and then become their signings.

Clubs often sign players outside of the transfer window but cannot play them (I think United signed someone at the end of last season, whilst Leicester did this by mistake with the player who was registered 14 seconds after the window closed - although in those cases there wasn't a loan system which enabled the players to play, but if there was in the Premiership that Leicester player would be allowed to play on loan.)

Claytonne&amp;ClarkThe rules are only around registration. At the moment we can only register loanees until the next transfer window. That rule isn't there to prevent longer-term signings - it's just that loans have to be short-term or they would be a transfer outside the window.
There is nothing to stop us selling Alabi to Dover today, if the contract states the fee is paid today but the registration isn't changed until January. He could then play for Dover on loan from Tranmere until the end of his loan, and then become their signings.

Clubs often sign players outside of the transfer window but cannot play them (I think United signed someone at the end of last season, whilst Leicester did this by mistake with the player who was registered 14 seconds after the window closed - although in those cases there wasn't a loan system which enabled the players to play, but if there was in the Premiership that Leicester player would be allowed to play on loan.)

There is no transfer window in the National League, we can sign any player at any time for any fee and can play up to 5 loanees in any one fixture.

Jack of all TradesThe more goals he scores the better his confidence must be?
Consequently, if his level of performance continues to improve it is another option come January for MM?

It appears JA has started every game for Dover since signing and surely must be a fit for their style of play.

Chris Kinnear is a very good manager and has virtually rebuilt his side for this season, so he must see something in JA?

+1 should stay there for as long as it takes to find his scoring boots and confidence

The only trouble with that is every goal he scores for Dover is a nail in our coffin as far as getting above Dover, it would perhaps been better going back to Chester or similar but not to a rival who's aim is also promotion.

I think he'd do alright in our team the way we're set up now. But if he keeps doing the business at Dover, as well as boosting his own confidence it should also mean there'll be a bit less resistance (and therefore pressure) from our fans when he does next play for us. A bit like when Stockton came back from Morecambe, and hopefully with the same impact.